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When the show first started, we talked so much about Joyce Carol Oates that I worried people would think she was the real focus of the podcast. But, as we’ve gone on, I’ve grown to realize a new fear, an all too real one, and that’s James Patterson.

He’s in our book news segment, he’s in our spotlight, we do bits on him, sometimes he’s in our bookmarks or a book club! The guy is impossible to not talk about when doing a book podcast. We’d have to be genre specific to avoid him, but he’s even got science fiction books and his name is all over young adult and children’s books. And bookshots, right?

I don’t know what his goals are as a writer, other than making millions of dollars and never wanting for anything. When I see authors with co-authors, who barely write their own books anymore, or who have been writing the same series exclusively for years, I wonder how they feel about it. Is it the same as doing your fifty year tour as The Who or playing Wolverine for seventeen years? As a writer, do you feel fulfilled or satisfied? It’s interesting, because I doubt Patterson is bummed he’s not writing all his own books. He probably spends more time writing checks for new couches! I can’t even begin to imagine the couch a million dollars could get you. The fabric alone makes my mind boggle.

Also, so sorry for the audio problems. My laptop shut off during the first twenty minutes and than I forgot to turn the external mics back on for the middle section. But that last twenty minutes, man, are they good.

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That seems a bit crazy. A hundred is a lot, right? I listen to podcasts that haven’t reached that number. We must be doing something right.

We talk about a few different things this episode. James Patterson, for one. The amount of free press we’ve given that guy is silly. Not that he needs it. I guess I’m going to have to read his stuff soon. I don’t want to, though. And, surprising myself, I’m not loving Me, Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews. Also, we learn Nic has an issue with Megs. No idea where that came from.

I wish I had more to say about us turning one hundred weeks old but I got to prepare for our two year anniversary next month. That’s a lot of book-related content. If you have thoughts about that, let me know. If you don’t, let me know too. Because I’d love to know why you hate our show. It’s Nic, right? I’ve known for at least forty of these shows.

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And with this post, I am now caught up with my podcast. So, be sure to check back every Friday for the newest episode! Or, you know, subscribe and track it yourself. Don’t become one of those “vanishing adults” politicians are going on about.

We talk Sexy New Books, because what’s sexier than a new book? Nothing. Unless that book comes with more books. Like an ebook bundle. I got the entire Wheel of Time series in one digital packet. That’s sexy.

I always feel bad when we’re not won over by these new books we talk about, but I think there’s an audience for surfers turned skateboarders. If you like these titles that we don’t care for, let us know. My Future Ex-Girlfriend sounded fun, but who cares about romance between 8th graders? I do think I should have given The Wanderers a fair shake, as it strikes me as a book that gets better as it moves along. That’s the curse of a sixty minute podcast, though!

And Nic is reading Flamingo Island, so some parties won out.

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Back when I was a kid, I would reread my favorites all the time. When it comes to the Animorphs, I gave each book multiple reads, picking different ones throughout the series or just reading the whole sage from the first book all over again.

After high school, when I got back to reading after a long break, I reread some of my favorites. Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451, White Fang and Call of the Wild, to name a few. But as college rolled along, followed by adult life and a consistent job, I started having less time for everything, including reading.

Not only that, but my eyes began to open and I started seeing all the books I hadn’t read. The Hugo Awards, The Nebula Awards, long running series I had never heard of, new favorite authors who publish work every year, the sometimes informative New York Times Bestsellers list. All of these books taking up space in my schedule.

One of the biggest developments is my current job. Working as the Head of Youth Services, I have to try and read young adult books on a regular basis. Plus, the occasional book club for kids or adults. Even after being done with school, required reading is still a thing in my life.

So where does that leave my favorites? Gone are the days of being bored and picking up Jurassic Park for the tenth time. White Fang sits on my shelf as a memorial. It’s both sad and encouraging that I don’t have time to reread.

One one hand, I miss my favorites. They take me to their specific worlds and characters that I fell in love with in the first place. They also connect me to real time and places, reminding me of the first time I read each book. They’re time capsules equal to a great album, whose songs are forever etched in my mind with events.

But it’s also feels great to know that I’m reading so much new fiction that I don’t have time for what I’ve already read. I’m more well-read than I was when I was younger because I branched out. I let Jurassic Park lead me to Michael Crichton’s other books. And, I’ve found new favorites. Books like Salem’s Lot and A Canticle for Leibowitz are now right alongside I Am Legend.

But I still want to reread them again. I’d hate to think I’ve read World War Z for the last time. But how to I fit them all in to my life again? I reread The Outsiders for an 8th grade book club I ran, but that can only take me so far. Sometimes, I think I should just dedicate a month for my favorites. Reread April or November, or something like that.

Would that cause me to miss out on the new and possibly great books released those months? Is it worth it? Should I hope to read a great old age and reread then? Tomorrow is promised to no one so should I just start today until I have to read something new? It’s a dilemma and one that I’ve been thinking about for a while now. I don’t know how other people do it. With limited time in the day, with so much other things vying for my attention, it seems like a fool’s dream.

If someone was forcing me to reread my favorites right now, I’d probably pick Jurassic Park, World War Z, Dune and the White Fang/Call of the Wild combo. So, you know, please force me to do so. You’d be doing me a favor.

Confession time. I let this blog posts fall behind. I want to change that. But to do that, for me, because I’m insane, I have to retroactively post the podcasts episodes I missed. So here’s episode 84, twenty-three days after it was released.

But it’s still a good one! We talk about some brand news books and learn that Nic hates time travel books about Shakespeare, and maybe books without time travel that are still about the Bard. Except we both kind of want to read Ronit & Jamil now. If you’re looking for something BRAND NEW to read, well, again, this episode is 23 days old. But check it out anyway!

We also talk Power Rangers, cat fiction and make new enemies. How about it?

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